HIST 180 - Refugees and Vassar College: What can the Archives Teach

Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)

Students in this class research the papers of former Vassar President MacCracken, and his role in bringing to Vassar College refugee scholars fleeing Nazi persecution in Europe. After reading some secondary texts on exile and rescue of scholars, students begin exploring Vassar’s archival sources under the guidance of Ron Patkus, the Director of Special Collections. During the second part of the semester, research teams work in Special Collections. Their findings are presented as an exhibition on campus, and perhaps also at the Mid-Hudson Heritage Center. A digital version of the exhibition is planned for EuropeNow’s platform and become part of a digital archive on Forced Migration that the Consortium on Forced Migration, Displacement and Education is building. Maria Höhn.

Prerequisite(s): Permission of the instructor.

One 3-hour period.

Course Format: INT